Net of Natural
Trails
Aceite Greenway Nature Trail: Moriles to Campo Real
Description
In the footsteps of the Oil Train
The construction of this last section, between the municipal boundaries of Moriles and Lucena and Campo Real Station, provides continuity to the Aceite Greenway, the former in Jaen and the latter in Cordoba. The greenway follows the now-defunct Puente Genil-Linares railway line, which had greatly contributed to the development and industrialisation of the towns through which it passed. While it was originally built for mining interests, it was used mainly for transporting olive oil, hence its popular name “Oil Train”.
This route starts at the municipal boundary between Moriles and Lucena, immediately after the Subbética section of the Aceite Greenway Nature Trail. The trail head may be reached by a dirt road, near a few buildings, at kilometre (KM) 29.2 of A-318. The dirt road soon intersects the Nature Trail.
Olive plantations (Olea europaea), stretching to the horizon, will accompany this journey. The roadside is populated with asparagus (Asparagus acutifolius) and herbaceous ruderals, and an occasional, large holm oak (Quercus ilex).
There are also fig trees (Ficus carica), vineyards (Vitis vinifera) and quinces (Cydonia oblonga), grown in vegetable gardens near the edge of the road, and rushes (Juncus sp.) along the banks of brooks.
Shortly after the trail begins, it crosses over the Fuente Romero Brook. The only rest area on this route is located not long after. Further on, a footbridge crosses the A-318.
Throughout the route, red partridges (Alectoris rufa) and rabbits (Oryctolagus cuniculus), whose warrens are built along the railway embankments, will run across the path, while red kites (Milvus milvus) patrol the skies looking for their prey. The constant hum of the cicadas (Cicadidae) is a typical sound of summer.
SLooking always ahead towards Sierra del Castillo and Sierra del Niño, the Trail continues, without significant changes, close to various farmhouses and wineries. After crossing Navaluenga Brook, the Campo Real railway stop marks the end of the route.
When the railway was fully operational, the section between Puente Genil and Campo Real was part of the Cordoba-Malaga railway line, and Campo Real station was located between the two tracks. This branch is no longer operational since the closure of the section, and Campo Real station (Puente Genil) was downgraded to a halt.
Sites of interest
Puntos de interés
Information
Infrastructure
Municipality
Hostel
Profile
Harshness of natural environment- 1. The environment is not risk-free
- 2. There are more than one risk factors
- 3. There are various risk factors
- 4. There are quite a lot of risk factors
- 5. There are many risk factors
Guidance along the route- 1. Well defined trails and crossings
- 2. There is a clearly marked trail and signage
- 3. Requires the identification of geographic features and cardinal points
- 4. Requires off-path navigation
- 5. The trail is interrupted by obstacles that have to be gone around
Route difficulty- 1. Walking on a flat surface
- 2. Trails with different types of path
- 3. Walking on stepped paths or irregular terrain
- 4. The use of hands or jumping over the terrain is necessary
- 5. The use of hands is required to progress
Amount of effort needed- 1. Up to 1 hour of continuous walking
- 2. Between 1 and 3 hours of continuous walking
- 3. Between 3 and 6 hours of continuous walking
- 4. Between 6 and 10 hours of actual walking
- 5. More than 10 hours of continuous walking
Highlights
Further information
The Oil Train
This railway line was originally built for mining interests, i.e. for transporting lead from County Linares to the port of Malaga via Jaén, which at that time did not have rail service.
The activity declined, leading to the closure of various sections. A Madrid-Malaga omnibus service via Jaén operated until 1983. However, this service was halted in 1984 when it was replaced by a regular bus service.
Puente Genil
The Campo Real train station, final destination of this stretch of the nature trail, belong to the Cordovan municipality of Puente Genil. It is part od the ‘Campiña Sur Cordovesa’, bordering the province of Sevile. Located in a privileged geograhical enclave, in the very heart of Andalusia, it is the ideal location as for railway and road communications, for it is within a short distance of the most important Andalusian capital cities (Córdoba 69 km, Málaga 110 km, Seville 120 km and Granada 150 km).
The foundational origins of this town go back to the administrative and demographic union between the village called “Pontón de Don Gonzalo” (founded in the dauys of King Fernando III by the II Lord of the State of Aguilar, Mr. Gonzalo Yañez Dovinhal II, and located in the right — Cordovan — bank of the River Genil), and the small population centre of Miragenil, located in the opposite bank and belonging administratively to the province of Seville.
Thus, said union between villages took place during the regency of María Cristina (by Royal Decree, on 10th December, 1834), leading to the current name of Puente Genil, which makes obvious reference to the physical means that allowed said integration: the bridge (puente, in Spanish) that crosses the course of the River Genil ans joins both banks.
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